(1)(a) The Music-based Supplemental Content to Accelerate Learner Engagement and Success (mSCALES) Pilot Program is created within the Department of Education. The purpose of the pilot program is to assist districts in adopting music-based supplemental materials that support STEM courses for middle school students.
(b) The music-based supplemental materials must be used by teachers who are certified to teach mathematics pursuant to s. 1012.55(1)(c). The supplemental materials must be used, at a minimum, twice per week to supplement mathematics instruction. (c) Classes that use the supplemental materials are subject to the class size requirements of s. 1003.03. (d) The school districts in Alachua, Marion, and Miami-Dade Counties are eligible to participate in the pilot program. District school superintendents may contact the Department of Education, in a format prescribed by the department, for their district to participate in the pilot program. Subject to legislative appropriation, the department may approve a school district to participate in the pilot program if sufficient funding is available.
(e) Participating school districts shall receive $6 per student. Eligible middle schools must be in the same attendance zone as an elementary school that participated in the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Program.
(f) To maintain eligibility for the pilot program, a participating school district must annually certify to the department, in a format prescribed by the department, that each participating middle school within the district meets the requirements of paragraphs (b) and (c).
(2)(a) The College of Education at the University of Florida shall continuously evaluate the program’s effectiveness. The College of Education must annually share the findings of its evaluations with the department and the Legislature.
(b) The College of Education at the University of Florida shall prepare a comprehensive final report of the program’s overall effectiveness. The report must be presented, no later than October 1, 2026, to the department, the Legislature, and the Florida Center for Partnerships in Arts-Integrated Teaching.
(3) This section expires June 30, 2026.
